Tag: Brandon Jones

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Luke Carlin congratulates Erik Kratz after his 2-run homer.

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Indianapolis Indians 8, �Rochester Red Wings 3 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians came from behind again on Thursday afternoon at Victory Field, scoring 7 unanswered runs to beat the Red Wings. �The Indians piled on 14 hits, led by 2B Neil Walker's 4 hits, DH Erik Kratz's 3 hits, and CF Kevin Melillo's 3 hits. �Both Kratz and LF Brandon Moss homered in the late inning rallies.

The Indians had at least one runner on base in every inning but the 8th. �They began with two hits in the 1st, when�Kevin Melillo singled, and Walker doubled down the right field line and into the Red Wings' bullpen. �Melillo tried to suprise the Red Wings and steal second base, but Rochester's starter Deolis Guerra, making his AAA debut, didn't blink. �He didn't balk either, but easily threw out Melillo at second base (photo).

RF Brandon Jones led off the 2nd inning with another double down the right field line and into the Wings' bullpen. � C Luke Carlin worked a walk. �This time, the Indians did get Guerra to balk. �That put Jones on third base (and Carlin on second) and in position to score when Erik Kratz lifted a sacrifice fly into center field.

Starter Donnie Veal (photo) looked good in the early innings. �He walked the first batter he faced, RF Jason Repko, then retired the next six batters he faced, including two strikeouts in the 2nd inning. �He began to struggle in the 3rd, beginning when his third pitch glanced off DH Erik Lis' helmet. �With the new thicker helmets, Lis seemed to barely feel it -- didn't even go down. �Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez was not even sure that the pitch had hit Lis, but after some jawing by Lis and a conference between the umpires, Lis was awarded first base. �Veal got the next two batters out, and then threw a ball into the dirt, which bounced up and hit SS Trevor Plouffe in the knee. �With runners on first and third, Veal gave up a single to LF Brian Dinkelman, and Lis came around from second to tie the score at 1-1.

The Red Wings took the lead in the 3rd. �With one out, CF Dustin Martin dropped a perfectly placed bunt to the left of the mound, and raced to first before Veal's throw could get there. �3B Danny Valencia crushed a double to the center field wall, and Martin came around from first base to score.

Veal again hit Erik Lis with a pitch in the 4th inning, this time just grazing his jersey. �It was the third hit batter for Veal in the game, but unlike in his last start, it did not get him a warning from the umpires.

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More photos from May 9th, with the Indianapolis Indians wearing pink jerseys for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Left: �Pedro Alvarez takes a practice swing; �Right: Doug Bernier coaches at first

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Left: �Rowdie leaps past Neil Walker; � Right: Alvarez at third base

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Left: Argenis Diaz at shortstop; � �Right: �Brian Friday

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Click on "read more" �or on the title above "In the Pink" -- to see more photos

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Rochester Red Wings 7, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

Three runs in the top of the 10th inning broke a 4-4 tie and gave the extra-inning win to the Red Wings at Victory Field on Tuesday night. �With the usually reliable Jean Machi on the mound for the Tribe, the inning began in a promising way: �Machi threw one pitch and got one ground out. �Then things went downhill. �Rochester's RF Brian Dinkelman bounced a double down the left field line, and he moved to third base on a wild pitch. �2B Luke Hughes was hit by the next pitch to put runners on the corners. �Machi got DH Dustin Martin to tap one back to the mound,a and the Indians were nearly out of the jam. �But the ball was rolling slowly, and even though Machi fielded it cleanly, whirled, and fired to second base to force out Hughes, �SS Brian Friday's (photo) relay throw to first base was not in time to beat Martin to the bag. �Dinkelman scored from third base, and the Red Wings had the go-ahead run. �Martin stole second base, then advanced to third on another wild pitch by Machi. �3B Danny Valencia followed with another slow roller to the right side of the infield between the mound and the third base line, for an infield hit, scoring Martin. �LF Jacque Jones doubled, driving in Valencia, and the Red Wings had a 7-4 lead. �Machi walked 1B Brock Peterson, before striking out C Allan de San Miguel to end the inning.

The Indians had come from behind three times already during the game, and in the bottom of the 10th, they made one more effort. �RF Brandon Moss led off with a line drive single into center field. �After C Erik Kratz lined out to center field, LF Kevin Melillo (photo), in his first start with the Indians, ripped a double into the right field corner, which moved Moss over to third base. �Brian Friday grounded to first base, allowing Moss to score. �This time the Indians' catch-up bid fell short, as the rally and the game ended with a strikeout by CF Jose Tabata, and the Red Wings had the win.

Righty pitcher Hayden Penn (photo at the top), who had been designated for assignment by the Pirates, then sent to Florida for extended spring training, joined the Indianapolis Indians today and was immediately inserted into the starting rotation. �Penn was limited to 80 pitches, and he stretched those pitches out so that he could pitch 6 innings -- he actually threw only 78 pitches, with 55 strikes. �He gave up 3 hits on 8 hits, no walks, with 6 strikeouts. �Penn pitched well against most of the Red Wings' batting order, but he had trouble with the very top of the order: �CF Jason Repko and SS Trevor Plouffe.

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Indianapolis Indians �5, �Buffalo Bison �4 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians celebrated Mother's Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Day with pink jerseys and a few pink bats. �Like in past years, the pink agrees with them. �The score went back and forth, and there was some sloppy play on both sides of the field, but the Indians held on for the afternoon win at Victory Field.

Each team posted 12 hits, and C Erik Kratz and SS Argenis Diaz each went 3-for-4 at the plate, including a triple for Kratz. �2B Neil Walker and 1B Brian Myrow had 2 hits each, with a solo homer apiece.

Starter Jeremy Powell (photo) pitched 6 innings to earn his third win. �He worked around runners on base in each inning -- in fact, neither team went down in order in any inning -- but did not go deep into counts on many batters. �Powell threw 82 pitches (58 strikes), and used only 7 pitches against 4 batters in the 4th, and 8 pitches against 6 batters in the 5th.

The Bison loaded the bases against Powell in the 1st. �With two outs, a walk to 1B Mike Jacobs, a ball to the arm of 3B Mike Hessman, and a rare fielding error by Neil Walker at second base as he fumbled trying to pick up the ball on a grounder, filled the bases with visitors. �But Powell calmly got 2B Russ Adams to ground out to short, leaving all three runners standing there.

Walker (photo) made up for his mistake in the bottom of the inning. �CF Jose Tabata reached base on a fielding error by Buffalo SS Ruben Tejada, who also had trouble picking up the ball. �Neil Walker and his pink bat were next. �Walker, batting right-handed against knuckleball pitcher RA Dickey, smashed a double to deep left-center field. �The speedy Tabata scored easily from first base, and the Indians had an early 1-0 lead.

Powell had to work around two hits in the 2nd inning. �C Josh Thole led off with a bloop single behind first base, then Powell got two outs. �CF Jason Pridie grounded to short for what ought to have been the third out, but SS Argenis Diaz was not as aggressive making the scoop, the transfer, or the throw as he could have been, and Pridie beat out the throw to first base. �Again Powell remained calm and fired strikes to RF Jose Feliciano, striking him out. �Feliciano was apparently having issues with the way that home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez was calling the strikes. �After he swung and missed strike three, he slammed his bat and must have said the wrong words, because Gonzalez immediately ejected him. �Alex Cintron came in to the game to replace Feliciano in right field, though he later swapped positions with Russ Adams and took over at second base.

Indianapolis Indians �8, �Buffalo Bison �5 � ��(box)

The Indians had to wait out the rain, but it was worth the wait, as they came from behind to beat the Bison at Victory Field on Friday night. �C Luke Carlin's home run, along with 4 RBI from 3B Pedro Alvarez, and 3 hits by RF Brandon Jones gave the Tribe the boost they needed. �Starter Donnie Veal got the win, and Jean Machi earned his third save of the season.

Donnie Veal (photo) was anxious to get going after the 1 hour 28 minute rain delay. �He pitched 5 innings but struggled to get through most of them. �In the top of the 1st, Veal struck out the first batter he faced, but then gave up back-to-back singles to 2B Russ Adams and 1B Mike Jacobs. �Veal's wild pitch got past C Luke Carlin, and the runners moved to second and third bases. �3B Mike Hessman, a long-time foe of the Indians, lifted a sacrifice fly, scoring Adams. �LF Chris Carter followed with a double to bring in Jacobs, and the Bison had a 2-0 lead. �A strikeout ended the inning, but it took Veal 34 pitches to get through the inning.

Veal did better in the 2nd inning, allowing only a walk to SS Ruben Tejada. �He was aided by what might have been a gift from the umpires. �With Tejada on second after a sacrifice bunt, CF Jason Pridie hit a sinking line drive into center field. �CF Jose Tabata came running in to make the catch... or did he? �It was not clear by just looking whether Tabata had actually made the catch, and the replays did not offer much more information. �The umpires were also unsure, because not one of the four of them signaled either a catch or a no-catch. �Manager Frank Kremblas came out to ask what was going on, and the four umps conferenced. �They finally decided that it was a catch, which also meant that when Tejada came racing around from second base, his run did not count.

The Bison came back at Veal in the third. �Once again, Veal struck out the first batter of the inning, but then walked Jacobs, bringing up the dangerous Hessman. �Sure enough, Hessman blasted a 2-run homer over the left field wall, to give Buffalo a 4-0 lead.

Veal had to work out of a jam in the 4th. �SS Ruben Tejada led off with a single, and went to second base on a balk. �After a strikeout, CF Jason Pridie singled, moving Tejada to third base. �But Luke Carlin threw out Pridie trying to steal second base, and a fly out got Veal out of trouble. �Then in the 5th, Veal retired the Bison in order. �He exited after 5, having thrown 95 pitches (53 strikes), and allowed the 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 7 batters. �

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 3, �Indianapolis Indians 1 (box)

Daniel McCutchen (photo) made his second appearance since returning to the Indianapolis Indians, but the early morning start did not agree with the Tribe. �In a game that started at 10:35 am to accommodate the school-aged crowd at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA, McCutchen did not pitch all that badly, but he did not get much run support, so he did not get the win.

The Indians were held to just 4 hits in the game -- two each by CF Jose Tabata and 3B Pedro Alvarez. The first two hits, one each, came right away in the top of the 1st. �Tabata opened the game with a single into left field. �Two outs later, after Tabata had advanced to second base on a ground out, Alvarez drove him home with an RBI double lined into center field.

And that was all the scoring the Indians would do. �They went down in order in the next two innings. �In the 4th, 1B Brian Myrow walked, but was caught stealing when he started to make a break a little to early in the pitcher's motion. �In the 5th, C Luke Carlin walked, but was erased in an double play. �Tabata was also caught stealing after his single in the 6th, though 2B Neil Walker was left stranded after he walked. �Three more Tribe batters (RF Brandon Jones, pinch-hitter Doug Bernier, and Tabata)�walked during the 7th and 8th innings, but all three were left on base. �The final Indians' hit of the game, a single by Alvarez, led off the 9th inning, but Alvarez was out in a force at second base, and the next two batters went down in order.

McCutchen needed 80 pitches (53 strikes) to go 6 innings in the game. �He gave up 7 hits, no walks, and worked around at least one runner on base in each inning but the 5th. �Two Iron Pigs' runners reached base in the 1st inning, and one in the 2nd, and both times, McCutchen left them stranded. �The third inning began with former Indy Indian CF Rich Thompson grounding sharply to second base. �Neil Walker made a diving stop of the ball, to keep it from getting into the outfield, but Thompson is too fast, and Walker had no chance of getting the ball to first base in time. �2B Luis Maza followed with a single into center field. �McCutchen got two outs, but then he made his big mistake of the game -- to RF Cody Ransom, who blasted a 3-run home run into the Indians' bullpen behind the left field wall. �Iron Pigs 3, Indians 1.

Indianapolis Indians �4, �Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs �1 (box)

At what point is a "spot starter" no longer a "spot starter"? �Indians' pitcher Jeremy Powell (photo) made his 4th start for the Tribe this evening at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA. �That's 4 starts and only one relief appearance for Powell this year. �This start was Powell's longest, by two innings: �he pitched 7 shutout innings, earning his second win.

Powell scattered 5 hits and 3 walks over his 7 innings of work, and he struck out 4 Iron Pig batters. �He gave up a two-out triple to RF Cody Ransom in the 2nd inning, and a walk to C Paul Hoover put runners on the corners, but a pop out ended the inning. �Powell gave up a single in the 3rd and left that runner stranded, and he gave up a lead-off single in the 4th, but got out of that inning with a double play. �Another double play erased a walk to CF John Mayberry in the 6th. �Powell also had to work around two runners in the 5th inning, when Hoover doubled and former Indy Indian (2005 - 06) LF Rich Thompson walked with two outs. � RF Brandon Jones got Powell out of that jam when he made a shoetop catch of a sinking line drive into right field off the bat of 2B Luis Maza. �Powell gave up a double with two outs in his last inning, but finished his night with a fly out to end the inning.

Meanwhile, the�Indians also put runners on base in each of the first four innings, but a combination of poor luck and poor baserunning kept them from scoring. �CF Brandon Moss, in a rare spot as the lead-off batter, began the game with a single up the middle, then moved to second base on a balk. �LF Neil Walker hit a sharp line drive -- but right at LF Rich Thompson. �A walk to 3B Pedro Alvarez put another runner on base, but both were left stranded. �C Erik Kratz led off the 2nd inning with a double into center field, but three straight grounders kept him from scoring.

The Tribe had a good chance of scoring in the 3rd inning, when Alvarez singled with two outs, and 1B Steve Pearce lined a double to left field. �Alvarez rounded third and headed for the plate, waved on by manager Frank Kremblas, as the throw came in from Thompson in left field. �The relay throw was on-target, and Alvarez was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. �Brandon Jones led off the 4th inning with a single, and a fielding error by Iron Pigs' RF Cody Ransom put Jones on second base. �But he was throw out trying to steal third base, and two more ground outs ended the inning.

Pirates' pitcher Chris Jakubauskas was released from the hospital in Houston this morning. �The diagnosis is a concussion, but's he's ok. �He's probably got an amazing headache, but isn't dizzy....

... You'll be dizzy, though, with all of the roster moves resulting from Jakubauskas going onto the 15-day disabled list.

Pitcher Brian Burres was recalled from Indianapolis. �He could make a start for the Pirates

Pitcher Brian Bass is being called up from Indy and placed onto the Pirates' 40-man roster. �He can also start if needed.

To make room on the 40-man roster, OF Brandon Jones has been Designated For Assignment. �He will have to pass through waivers, and if he does, then the Pirates could sign him to a minor league contract.

Pitcher�Daniel McCutchen was optioned back to Indianapolis. �This time, McCutchen will really report to Indy. � He'll be able to take Jakubauskas's spot in the Indy rotation, which got a bit of a break because of Saturday's rain out.

That still leaves a spot open on the Pirates' roster, but it's likely that Jeff Karstens will be called up to make the start on Tuesday.

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And there's rain and thunderstorms predicted for Louisville this afternoon and evening, so the Indians and the Bats may not get to play today either.

Toledo Mud Hens 7, �Indianapolis Indians 4 (box)

The Mud Hens spoiled the Indianapolis Indians' home opener at Victory Field with a 4-run 8th inning, taking advantage of four errors committed by the Indians themselves. �3B Pedro Alvarez and DH Brandon Moss both homered for the Indians, but the homers couldn't overcome the errors.

The Indians got onto the scoreboard first. �After his teammates went down in order in the 1st inning, 3B Pedro Alvarez led off the 2nd inning with his first hit at Victory Field, a single through the hole on the right side of the infield. �Neil Walker, in his first pro appearance as a first baseman, worked a walk, moving Alvarez to second base. �Brandon Moss dropped down the perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. �C Erik Kratz pushed Alvarez across the plate with an RBI ground out to short.

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Jeremy Powell made another spot start for the Indians, and did a reasonable job over 4 innings of work. �Powell gave up a splintered-bat single and a walk in the first inning, but left both runners on base. �He also gave up a lead-off walk in the 2nd inning, but SS Argenis Diaz made a slick double play,�scooping the ball just two steps from second base, and making that force himself before firing on to Walker at first.

The first error of the game came there in the 2nd inning, when former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz grounded towards third base. �Alvarez went to his left a couple of steps, but the ball slid just under his glove and into left field and was ruled an error -- it might have ticked his glove as it went by, but I couldn't tell from where I was sitting. �That error turned out to be moot, luckily. �The next batter, 3B Danny Worth, grounded another ball right to Alvarez, and on his second try, he made a nice throw to second base for the force out.

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Louisville Bats �4, �Indianapolis Indians 2 (box)

The Indians will head home to Indianapolis tonight, finishing up their road trip with a split of the short 2-game series in Louisville and an overall 3-5 record.

The Bats held the Tribe to just 5 hits tonight at Louisville Slugger Field. �CF Jose Tabata (photo) went 2-for-3 at the plate, with a walk, and he scored the first of the Indians' runs in the 4th inning. �Tabata led off with a single, and promptly stole second base -- his 5th steal of the season. �RF Brandon Jones doubled into right field, and that brought in Tabata. �1B Steve Pearce grounded out, allowing Jones to move over to third base. �Another ground out, this one by 3B Pedro Alvarez, plated Jones with the second Tribe run.

There were only 3 more hits in the rest of the game, and they all came in the 5th inning. �With one out, 2B Brian Friday, SS Argenis Diaz, and Tabata all singled to load the bases. �But two more strikeouts meant that all three runners were left on base. �Those were the only base runners the Tribe left on base. �Two batters walked -- Tabata to lead off the 1st, and Friday to lead off the 3rd. �But Tabata was erased in a double play, and Friday was caught stealing second. �After the 5th inning, the remaining 12 Tribe batters were retired in order.

Donnie Veal made the start for the Indians. �He pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk, suffering his first loss of the season. �Veal threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes. �In the bottom of the 1st, Louisville RF Chris Burke lined a single into right field, then stole second base. �CF Chris Heisey bunted back to the mound, and beat it out to first base, putting runners on the corners. �A walk to 3B Todd Frazier loaded the bases, and a sacrifice fly by 1B Drew Sutton brought in the run. �Veal struck out SS Zack Cozart to end the inning. �Veal retired the side in order, including two strikeouts in the 2nd inning, and then retired the first two batters in the 3rd. �LF Juan Francisco hit a two-out triple, the first of two triples the Bats recorded in the game. �Frazier followed the triple with a 2-run homer to give the Bats a 3-0 lead.

Indianapolis Indians 4, �Columbus Clippers 3 (box)

Indians' outfielder Brandon Moss admitted that he'd had a "rough Spring Training". �That was followed by 10 days off while he waited to go through waivers. �He was more than ready to come to Indianapolis, where he was much more likely to get some regular playing time. �Moss went 0-for-5 on Opening Day and sat out yesterday's game. �Tonight, though, it was time to get going. �Moss said after the game that he "felt really going coming into the game tonight." �It showed, too, as he singled, doubled, and hit the game-winning home run as the Indians took a 2-1 series lead over the Clippers at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Moss said that he made good use of his forced time off. �He went back to Loganville, Georgia, where he sought out his high school baseball coaches. �He worked with the coaches, who pitched to him for hours and hours. �They talked about tempo and about keeping his hands back. �It put Moss back into his right place, where he could feel confident with his swing, and as we saw tonight, the extra work paid off.

Playing conditions tonight at Huntington Park were very different from those of the past two nights. �For two games, the Clippers and the Indians pounded out the hits and especially the home runs. �After combining for 14 home runs in the first two games of the series, tonight the only home run of the game was Moss's. �The wind had wreaked havoc for the outfielders, particularly the left fielders in the first two games, but it was mostly quiet tonight.

The Indians got the game started with two runs in the top of the 1st. �With one out, RF Brandon Jones and DH Brian Myrow worked back-to-back walks. �They both advanced a base on a wild pitch by Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez, and 3B Pedro Alvarez filled the void at first with another walk. �Gomez had a full count on the lead-off batter Jose Tabata before he grounded out, then another full count on Jones. �Myrow walked on a 3-1 pitch, and Alvarez walked on four straight balls, including the wild pitch. �Gomez also had a full count on 1B Steve Pearce, when Pearce lined a single into left field, scoring both Jones and Myrow. �The inning finished with a strikeout by Moss (2-2 pitch), and a fly out by C Luke Carlin (mercifully, on the first pitch). �Gomez had thrown 33 pitches. �(If he had been in the Pirates' organization, he would not have been permitted to go back out for the second inning.)

With just a week left until the major league season begins, we have a few more prospects to look at. �Two outfielders today:

Jose Tabata (photo) came to the Pirates from the Yankees in the 2008 trade that included Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, and Daniel McCutchen. �The Venezuelan native was with the AA Trenton Thunder at the time of the trade, and he was not having his best season. �He was hitting .248, the lowest he'd hit since coming to the US, with 3 homers and 36 RBI. �He had had wrist surgery in late 2007, and was probably still working his way back from that. �The change of scenery Tabata found when coming to the Pirates seemed to agree with him. �He was assigned to AA Altoona, and in 22 games with the Curve, Tabata hit 100 points higher than he'd hit in Trenton, with another 3 homers and 13 RBI. �There had been some questions about his attitude while with Trenton, but no such incidents were repeated once Tabata came to the Pirates. �Furthermore, Tabata was able to shake off the distraction that cropped up during spring training in 2009, when his wife was involved in the kidnapping of a baby. �Tabata reported back to Altoona to begin 2009 and got off to a moderate start, hitting .250 in 17 games, with 3 doubles and 6 RBI. �At that point, he injured his hamstring and went onto the Disabled List for nearly two months. �When he returned in June, Tabata hit .255 in his next 16 games, with one homer and 7 RBI. �Then he exploded in July, when he appeared in 28 games, and had at least one hit in all but 4 of them, including 3 hits on July 3rd and 4 hits on July 21st. �He hit .354 over the month, with 10 doubles, another homer, and 12 RBI. �That gave him an overall .303 average for his time in Altoona, with 15 doubles and 25 RBI. �He also stole 7 bases, though was caught stealing 25 times. �He worked 20 walks and struck out 25 times. �Tabata was promoted to Indianapolis for the beginning of August. �In 32 games with the Indians over the last 5 weeks of the season, the 21-year-old hit a solid .276, with 7 doubles, 3 homers, and 10 RBI. �Tabata played center field for the Indians, and both center and right fields in Altoona. �He made only 2 errors all season, and his arm is considered strong and reasonably accurate.